Common squirrel monkey

In the wild, squirrel monkeys would spend much of their day foraging through the jungle, tearing apart bark to find bugs and ripping into fruit to eat. Here at the Zoo we often provide them with various paper products so they can exercise their shredding skills!

Al: Male, wild born in Guyana, South America in 1993. He arrived at the Zoo on April, 27, 1999.

Coco: Female, wild born in Guyana, South America in 1996. She arrived at the Zoo on April, 27, 1999.

Meg: Female, wild born in Guyana, South America in 1996. She arrived at the Zoo on April, 27, 1999.

Chestnut: Female, born December 26, 1999 at the Philadelphia Zoo.

Ivana: Female, born December 13, 2004 at the Philadelphia Zoo.

Andrew: Male, born April 20, 2008 at the Philadelphia Zoo.

Viewing Hints

Squirrel monkeys are very active and are arboreal, so if you don't see them when you first look into their enclosure, look up.

Where to find me in the Zoo

PECO Primate Reserve.

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Common squirrel monkeys have a pink face with black around the muzzle, a gray to black crown, pointed arches over the eyes, and white hairy ear tufts. The back is olive in color, the underparts are light yellow, and the forearms, hands, and feet are yellow-orange.

Longevity

Common squirrel monkeys can live up to 30 years in zoos, with a typical lifspan in the wild of about 21 years.

Behavior

Common squirrel monkeys are diurnal and arboreal, noisy, and highly active. They are extremely social, vocal, and in the wild often form mixed-species associations with white-fronted capuchins (Cebus albifrons) and tufted capuchins (Cebus apella).

Weight

Diet

In the wild squirrel monkeys spend the majority of their day foraging for food in the forest canopy where they capture and consume insects and fruit. At the Zoo, the squirrel monkeys are offered a base diet of new world primate biscuit and canned primate food. The enrichment portion of the diet includes a variety of insects, fruit and vegetables. The keepers offer a different assortment of approved dietary items each day and food is offered numerous times daily to promote normal foraging behaviors.

Geographic Range

Range includes Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, Venezuela, and Colombia and habitat includes primary and secondary moist forest, riverine forest, mangrove, and swamps up to 6562 ft (2000 m).

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